Improvement in amalgamators



y UNITED STATES lirricn.

'PATENT AUGUST F. IV. IVARTZ, OF IVURTSBOROUGII, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN AMALGAMATORS.

vSpecification forming part Vof Letters Patent No. 39,2d0. dated July 14, 1863.

TofaZZ whom't't may ,coincer-m Beit known that I, AUGUST F. W. PARTz,

of Wurtsborough, in the county df Sullivan and State of New York, have invented, made,

and applied to use a certain Improvement in Amalgamating. Gold and Silver; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of my said invention, reference beinghad to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein-,-

' Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig..2 a longitudinal section, of the apparatus I employ for amalgamating gold andsilver.-

. Similar letters denote the same parts.

kn amalgamati'ng gold and silver for its ex-4 traction `from the ore botlr wet and dry methods have'been employed. In the wet process the -ore and particles of metal ,beingmnveloped 'in water are thereby kept fromV -that intimate contact with the mercury so necessary for amalgamation, and hen'ce a large amount of waste ensues; and in tile dry amalgamation that has heretofore been attempted,

the particles of ore are not brought into suficient-intimate contact to insure a complete amalgamation of the metallic particles.

The nature of `my said invention consists in a flowing mercurial surface, upon which the metallic ores are spread in a finely-pulverized and dry or nearly dry state, and the flowing of said mercury lconveys such metallic ores along and abstracts 'the metal, and then the earthy matters are washed away by a stream of water applied near the end of the mercurial surface, and the mercury returned to the place of beginning to again be caused to flow beneath the thin strata of metallic ore.

In the drawings, I have represented an apparatus by which I am able to apply s aid .method of amalgamation with the use of a comparatively smallquantity of mercury, and effect the amalgamation rapidly. It will, however, be apparent that the said method may be applied in differently-constructed apparatus.

a is a metallic 'slight inclination, and coated with mercury on the clean metal, so that the mercury, as supplied at the higher end, will tlow over the entire surface in a thin sheet and passaway at the lower end, at which point a trough, b, recelves said mercury, when it is returned by conduits o e tolthe boxes of the elevatingrotated by competentl wheels d that are surface or trough, set at a power, and the buckets of said wheels raise the mercury and deliver it on the surfaeeof the trough a, over which it flows as aforesaid.'

in said sieve, and by the same distributed. evenly and in a drv or nearly drystate upont'he surface 'of the .mercury as.it`ilo,ws along the trough a.

I have shown the shaking "car'ifwheel g to vibrate the sieve, as the sameis hung by the hinges h, said wheel g'being driven. .by the belt t', or otherwise. The mercury in 'ts thin sheetahserbsand amalgamedece withl regola lor silver, because each particle of ore is'brought.

into contact in a dry state with such mercury,

and in order. to `carry away the earthy tailings, I apply a stream of water through the distributer la thatwashes olf said tailings; and in order to .prevent any sediment of the earthy matter in the trough b which would obstruct the free circulation of the mercury, I apply the rotary stirrers or agitators l on 'the shaft m, rotated by the belt n, or otherwise. It will be apparent that thetrough a,

on which the mercury ilows as aforesaid, might be corrugated erosswise in order to detain.

the mercury and cause a 'more even. flow of the same, and also that the trough Vmight be vibrated, if desired. l

I have represented a device for washing' away the tailings, but where more convenient the same may be blown or brushed off the stationary or lowin g mercurial surface.

My process of amalgamating by the direct contact of the metallic orewith the mercurial surface may be used in any apparatus where it can be applied.

The stirrers l may be made to oscillate instead of revolving, if desired.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A current of mercury moving over a horizontal or inclined surface, upon which auriferous or argentiferous ores or substances 1n a dry pulverulent state are distributed to effect their amalgamation, as specified.

2. Amalgamating gold and silver with mercury, by causing the former to come in contact the complete distribu- .away from below the with the latter while" passing-innl Athin strata over en inelined metallic plate or trough, 'the .A surface of'w'hieh is amalgamated with mereury, the'down-owing xnrrenry being drawn surface at the delivery end of the vsaid plate or trough, and reelevated to the` higher end thereof', substantially 3. A current of' water or air,- in combination with a flowing sheet of mercury, for removing the tailings, the pulverized ore' being distributed on such sheet in a dry state, 'substantially tvhieh the mercury flows i'11.a.-d1n strata. over 11ninclined plate,in order thatgthe seidtail-fings may be, easily removed and.` the ine. oury be allowetl to freely return tothe point of beginniug', substantially as set forth.

5. Distributing auriferous or argentiferous ores or substances in a. dry state upon a moving sheet of mercury,.for the purpose of eiectingtheir amalgamation, -by means of vibrat ing sie'ves or screens, substantially as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this Sthda-y of J une, 1863.

A. F. W.y PARTZ. Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, UHAS. H. SMuH. 

